WEYMOUTH: Why did President Yeltsin fire Prime Minister Primakov? YAVLINSKY: Because he became very close to the communists. [And] because he had no economic program.
What do you think about the choice of Sergei Stepashin to be prime minister? This is not a very good choice. He was very active in Chechnya.
Will your party support him? This is an open question. It’s very hard for us to forget that he was the head of the KGB while the war in Chechnya [was going on].
Will he pass the Duma? It’s very hard to predict.
When Yeltsin was in the hospital in March, didn’t he interview you as a possible prime minister? This was a discussion about presidential elections–not the prime minister’s office.
Does he want you to be his successor? Nobody knows what Yeltsin wants.
Is President Yeltsin well enough to make a decision? Yes. He always was in the same mood as now. Simply, Yeltsin is such a man. [Between] 10 years ago and now, there is no difference.
What’s standing in his way? There are some strong, corrupt groups around him, and they have an influence.
Does Yeltsin believe in democracy and freedom? In his guts, yes.
Anatoly Chubais is a longtime Yeltsin adviser. A former first deputy prime minister, he has been fired twice and rehired twice by the Russian president. Still, he remains very close to the Kremlin chief:
WEYMOUTH: How do you feel about the impeachment vote? CHUBAIS: I am deeply satisfied.
You went to President Yeltsin last week and argued the case for Stepashin. Why? I consider the appointment of Stepashin a strategic and reasonable step by President Yeltsin.
Why? I know that in the West, they talk about his KGB past and his participation in the Chechnya war. But to me, Stepashin represents the new generation of Russian politicians. His entire career occurred after the beginning of Yeltsin’s reforms. He’s definitely not a communist and will never become a leader of the left, which is absolutely fundamental.
Did Yeltsin want to get rid of Primakov because he did not fight hard enough against impeachment? That’s true, that’s one of the reasons. But the background of the decision is the fundamental difference in attitude toward the communists between Primakov and Yeltsin. That is the fundamental reason for Yeltsin’s decision.
How is President Yeltsin’s health? The worse the political situation, the better Yeltsin’s health.
Can he make rational decisions? Definitely. He’s able to make sensible decisions, and this is proven by his last decision.
Will Stepashin pass the Duma? I think so, but it completely depends on the Duma. My understanding is that President Yeltsin and Sergei Stepashin are not determined to fight the Duma. But if the Duma does not support Stepashin, I have no doubt that Yeltsin will dissolve the Duma [and call for new elections].
What policies will Stepashin pursue if he’s confirmed? I think he will be a reasonable prime minister. It doesn’t mean he will support a Western mistake like the Yugoslav decision, the biggest Western mistake of the last 40 years.
How much has that helped the communists and nationalists? It is the biggest gift that [communist leader Gennady] Zyuganov and [ultranationalist Vladimir] Zhirinovsky could ever dream of. They will definitely have additional votes in the parliamentary elections in December, and that is the gift of Mr. Clinton. I never saw such anti-American feeling in my life.
